Winterising your bike?

[Rogerborg]

Now that the nights are drawing in and winter is almost on us again, does anyone have any tips for winter-proofing bikes?

Other than the obvious ACF-50 / muffs / heated grips, my #1 tip would be to overhaul your brakes. Take it from me, lubricating your sliding pins and cleaning your pistons every 6 months is a lot less work than freeing them up once they're seized.

Feel free to share your own tips for surviving the dark, miserable mornings and nights and foul weather that will soon be upon us.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[andyscooter]

best put mine away now summers over



was a good season
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[DrSnoosnoo]

I've just bought a second set of wheels with studs for that awful snow we'll get next week until April 2016
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Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[Rogerborg]

[andym]

[chickenstrip]

Borg, you miserable old git!


You could always move to.................dun dun daaaa!


LONDON!
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[iooi]

[Beehive Bedlam]

I intend on fitting a scottoiler and heated grips to my Fazer before the end of September.

[weasley]

[DrSnoosnoo]

[chickenstrip]

Ffs, June's nearly always a write-off. If July, August and September are the same, I'll gladly join in with the whingeing. And anyway, dahn sarf, we ain't 'ad it too bad
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[NJD]

Winter, ey have we skipped autumn?

Autumn (September, October and November)
Winter (December, January and February)

I've never been to scotland, but is the weather really that bad, blink of an eye ago the real winter was over?

..

As for tips.

Inspect electrical contacts (clean and resemble with cable ties?).
Disable sidestand switch.
WD-40/ACF-50 where clutch goes into engine case (I had mine stick at one point, fixed with this)
ACF-50 Prep + coat.
Tyres with decent tread / grip.
Chain lube + clean more often.

In honesty, it's hard to write anything as I look outside and it's a clear blue sky with the sun shinning.

[Rogerborg]

[andyscooter]

have to admit there hasn't been many days I havnt been able (or wanted) to go out

as im off work at the mo I have been making myself slightly useful by walking mum and dads dog for them as dad can no longer do it and mum is busy and rather stressed with other things and this morning was the first time I think I have gotten wet
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[NJD]

[mentalboy]

Winter? Hmm, remind me again what that is

I think I experienced winter this year on 11th February when the morning temp was nearly 0C, but it did rise to about 15C by midday - does that count?

[Skudd]

[Suntan Sid]

I took a petrol tank down to bare metal, filled and primed it in early April, I'm still waiting for just one sunny day to finish the job, FFS!
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[Dave70]

I've not un-winterised the bike yet, I'm still waiting for summer to start before I bother.
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2012: R125 killed by white van. 2016 R125 killed by 30,000 miles of redline. Current: 2016 Kawasaki ER6f.

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

I saw the sun once.



Blind now.
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The Harry Turner Project

[wr6133]

I may try one of those cheap loobman chain oiler things this winter. I find riding through shite weather I go through a lot of spray on lube, would save a few £ using old engine oil instead.

I'll take off all the fairings, tank, etc and deep clean then ACF50 the bike late Autumn (do it early spring too).

The muffs will go on when it gets chilly. Thinking of investing in heated grips too but it seems a little decadent to a stingy miser like me.

[struan80]

hmm I need a winter bike. Fireblade any good in the ice?

AC50 is a pain in the arse and not all it's made out to be in my humble experience of having had a rusty new bike that was bathed in the stuff, it's a pain the arse to clean off. I must be the only human alive that doesn't recommend this stuff though

Bugger all that fancy crap 3in1 and WD40 is all that's needed sand all that i'll be using from now on. Tiz like paying a fortune at a sex shop for some fancy lubricant when all that's really needed is a good handful of vaseline.

Is it winter already?

[andym]

[Blue_SV650S]

My winter prep is the same as my summer prep. The only difference is more frequent chain lubing in winter ...
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The purpose of life is to fight maturity.

[Rigga]

Had a great summer here in Yorkshire, the rain has been lovely and warm.
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Current bike: Honda CBR 1100xx